Queen of the Heavens Read online

  As we walked toward a great tent under which we would partake in a feast, I noticed several workers heading toward the tomb with large, gilded pieces of wood.

  “What are they doing?” I asked Sety.

  “They will build three shrines over the sarcophagus, one inside each other. Then the tomb will be closed and the entrance hidden with dirt and rocks.”

  “Three shrines, a sarcophagus and three coffins,” I noted. “Ramesses’ mummy will rest inside seven casings.”

  “Yes, Tuya. It is the same for all Pharaohs.”

  Seven is the number of places where energy passes between humans and the Cosmos, I said to myself. The number is sacred. No wonder Pharaohs are buried this way.

  The funeral meal was a festive one. Tears had been shed and grief expressed earlier, but with Ramesses’ spirit enjoying bliss in the afterlife, there was no reason for friends and relatives to despair. The food was superb, and included meat from the ox sacrificed earlier in the day. Sety was polite to the guests, but I noticed his hands shaking as he ate his food and drank his wine.

  “I’m concerned about you, Sety,” I said to him when no one was nearby to overhear our conversation.

  “Why?” he snapped.

  “Your hands shake and you don’t look well.”

  “My health is not your concern.”

  “It is my concern. I’m your wife.”

  “I’m fine, Tuya. This has been a trying day for me, that’s all.”

  When we returned to the quay, Sety seemed no more composed than before.

  “The boat will depart tomorrow, soon after sunrise,” he told me after we stepped on board. “Make certain you join me on deck as soon as we leave the quay. You’ll stand beside me as we approach the eastern bank. When we leave the boat, you will walk directly behind me.”

  “When do we go to the temple?” I inquired.

  “Immediately. You’ll sit in the courtyard. I’ll join you after bathing in the sacred lake and making offerings to Amun in the sanctuary.”

  My husband’s hands still shook.

  “Are you certain you are well, Sety?”

  “Yes, Tuya. Stop asking,” he said as he left for his quarters.

  I stayed on deck, eating some fruit and watching the sun set behind the bluffs by the valley where Ramesses’ mummy lay. As darkness descended, I went to my cabin, lit incense, cast a spell against the demons of the desert and prayed to Thoth for wisdom and guidance.

  As I lay in bed, I worried about my husband. He would enter the Great Temple of Amun the next day with his head bare, but depart wearing the double crown of the Pharaoh.

  May he find strength, I whispered, then drifted into sleep.

  XXVIII

  The following morning before sunrise, Nebet assisted me as I washed and dressed. Once again, I wore my exquisite marriage necklace, but I also donned the silver ankh with the carnelian at the cross-piece that Lord Harenhab had presented to me as a gift.

  From a large box, I lifted my new wig, which I had made especially for this day. The tightly-wound black braids were so full they reached to the edge of my shoulders and dropped halfway to my elbows. Bands of silver, inlaid with turquoise, bound the outside braids a finger’s length from the tips.

  “I have never seen such an exquisite wig,” Nebet declared. “It covers your shoulders like the wings of a magical bird. It is a wig Isis would wear.”

  “I saw myself wearing it in a dream as I entered the Great Temple of Amun,” I told her. “The wigmaker followed my instructions perfectly in fashioning it.”

  “All eyes will be upon you today, My Lady, for you look like a goddess as well as a Queen.”

  I felt the boat lurch then heard the splash of oars in the water. This part of the Nile was quite wide, but even so, it would not take long before we reached the other side. I walked on deck to join Sety. Palace guardsmen stood at attention in preparation for our ceremonial arrival on the eastern bank, but my husband was nowhere to be seen. This alarmed me, for he had been quite insistent the night before that I join him as soon as the boat began moving.

  “Where is Sety?” I asked an officer.

  “In his quarters, My Lady.”

  I walked to Sety’s cabin. A soldier, spear pointing skyward, stood outside.

  “Let me pass.”

  “Your husband told me he wanted to be alone.”

  “Step aside,” I ordered as I pushed past the guard and through the draperies that covered the entrance.

  Sety sat on the bed, bent at the waist. He held a silver bowl, retching into it. I rushed to him, sat down and placed my arm around him. He was soaking with perspiration and shaking. When Sety’s retching stopped, I took the bowl, set it on a table and poured him some water. He held the goblet in both hands as he drank.

  “Lie down and rest,” I said.

  “I cannot. We’ll be arriving at the temple soon.”

  “You must have eaten spoiled food this morning. This will pass.”

  “I ate nothing, Tuya. It is a dream that makes me ill.”

  “A dream? What kind of dream?”

  “A dreadful one, full of wails and tears. Each night since we departed for Abydos I have dreamt it. The Hittites invaded Egypt. They destroyed our towns and led Egyptians away in bondage. I tried to stop them in battle, but failed. My body was hacked to pieces, never to be mummified or to find peace in the afterworld.”

  I sat down again next to my husband and took his hand. “Egypt is too strong and you are too fine a commander for this ever to happen. A demon of the desert must have come to the boat in the night, entered your consciousness, and made you dream these terrible things.”

  “I didn’t feel the presence of a demon. What if the dream is a prophecy?”

  “Dreams don’t always foretell the future, Sety. Sometimes they serve as a warning that we must change our ways, or take action to prevent them from coming true.”

  “Perhaps, Tuya, but Ramesses was such a great and noble man. Am I capable of protecting our land the way he did? My dream makes me fear I am not.”

  Sety’s words stunned me. My husband had always been brash and confident. Never before had I heard him express misgivings about his capacity to rule.

  “Don’t think such thoughts,” I said. “Audacity, Sety. Audacity. You once told me that with audacity the world would be yours.”

  “Such words are easily spoken when another is Pharaoh. Now the destiny of Egypt rests with me. My dream causes me to doubt myself.”

  I spoke firmly. “You are the most capable man I ever met. Ramesses relied upon you to help him rule. He prepared you well for this day. Remember, Osiris was hacked to pieces when he was Pharaoh, but Isis resurrected him and he now reigns in even greater glory. Ask Thoth to help you use your power wisely, and trust in your ability to rule well.”

  My husband stood, dampened a cloth in a basin and wiped his face, taking care not to smudge the kohl around his eyes. This was no easy task since his hands still shook. “We must prepare to leave the boat, Tuya. We have duties to perform.”

  “You should postpone the ceremony.”

  “I cannot. Everything is prepared. The people expect me to accept the crown today.”

  I followed Sety out of the cabin. The Great Temple of Amun, which appeared small in the distance, now loomed large, and in a moment we would be at the quay. I motioned to Nebet to come to me.

  “Yes, My Lady.”

  “While with my husband, I took ill.”

  “I’m sorry. You didn’t seem ill when I helped you dress.”

  “My sickness came on suddenly but passed quickly. Please clean the silver bowl inside Sety’s cabin, and say nothing of this. I don’t want anyone to worry about me.”

  Once at the quay, I followed Sety off the vessel and walked five paces behind him between cordons of soldiers on each side of the path to the temple. The High Priest greeted us as we passed through the gate to the temple grounds. He escorted Sety toward the sacred lake, while a mature, though
still quite beautiful member of the khenerit, accompanied me to a nearby room.

  I knelt on a cushion and reached out my hands below an altar that held an alabaster statue of Isis holding Horus as a child. The Sem Priest chanted in the ancient tongue as he poured water over the statue. The liquid collected at the hollowed-out base, then flowed from a spout onto me.

  The woman of the khenerit held a basin near the floor, catching the water as it dripped from my hands and arms as I washed them. As Sety became ritually pure by bathing in the sacred lake, I, too, became ritually pure through this water sanctified by Isis and Horus.

  After completing the ritual, I rested and meditated until the Sem Priest approached.

  “It is time My Lady. The ceremony will begin soon.”

  The Sem Priest led me across the courtyard to a stone platform not far from the statue of Sekhmet. I sat down in a gilded chair with jewels inlaid into its legs and sides and looked out at a courtyard filled with hundreds of chanting priests, noble men and women, Viziers, Governors, and Ambassadors in the colorful robes and headdresses of other lands.

  Music from drums and reed flutes soon announced the arrival of Sety, who led a procession of fifty priests, all waving bronze incense burners spewing smoke that carried the scent of spikenard. My husband, wearing a kilt and long transparent robe with a pyramid shaped apron in front, walked to an even more magnificent chair next to me. His expression was pained and his hands still shook.

  A demon of the desert did not enter my husband’s consciousness. It is the demons already within Sety that torment him so, I said to myself as he sat down.

  Sety and I remained still and silent as the priests chanted. After some time, the High Priest came forward, accompanied by a lesser priest holding a gold tray with four tiny silver jars. Sety stood and faced the High Priest, who picked up one of the jars. He poured a few drops of liquid onto a finger, which he placed on Sety’s forehead, just above the nose.

  “With frankincense, I anoint your hidden eye. May it open widely, and enable you to see things others do not.”

  The High Priest took oil from a second jar. “With myrrh, I anoint your throat. May you speak with strength and clarity, and utter only truthful words.”

  He picked up a third jar from the tray. “With lotus, I anoint your heart center, so love will flow freely between you and the Cosmos. May you act with compassion.”

  The High Priest daubed Sety below the ribs with oil from the fourth jar. “With cedar, I anoint the center of your power. May your strength grow so you can lead with great courage and smite Egypt’s enemies.”

  The priest with the oils retreated as another priest, wearing a falcon mask, came forward. He carried a silver tray, holding the red and white double crown of Egypt.

  “This crown has been worn by Pharaohs throughout the ages,” the High Priest proclaimed. “It draws from the Cosmos the power of Horus, which flows through the one who wears it. With Amun as your witness, Sety, do you claim this crown and this power?”

  To my horror, Sety spoke not a word. With shaking hands, he picked up the crown, but still said nothing. The crowd began to murmur.

  I closed my eyes, drew strength from throughout my body to my heart, and willed it toward Sety through the carnelian in my ankh. With the power of Isis, I give my husband strength so he may face the demons within him. May he accept my strength by opening his own heart.

  At first, colors flooded my consciousness, but soon blackness enveloped me as I became weak and passed into a void. I sensed nothing, not even time, until I heard a strong and steady voice. To my relief, it was Sety’s.

  “He who buries the Pharaoh becomes the Pharaoh. I have come from the great valley across the Nile where I buried my father, whose courage and compassion were as great as any ruler’s who ever lived. As Ramesses’ son, I claim this crown as the rightful heir to the throne of Egypt.”

  Sety slowly raised the crown skyward and lowered it onto his head.

  “Ramesses’ reign was short but his life was great. He gave me love, guidance and counsel. My father was the rampart of my heart, and I will complete what he began for his glory, and the glory of Egypt.”

  As my husband spoke with vitality and confidence, I felt my own strength returning.

  “Ramesses rebuilt our armies so all Egyptians could live their lives free from the fear they might be attacked and killed or taken into slavery. I will use those armies to destroy our enemies before they try to destroy us. As Horus fought Seth, I will fight the Hittites until Egypt’s victory is complete.”

  Sety softened his voice, but did not lower it.

  “My father also embarked on building and expanding temples. I will complete the work he began and add to it. The gods have blessed Egypt, and we must honor them so they will continue to bestow their bounty on our beloved land.”

  A priest came forward holding a gilded box, the crook and flail resting in it. Sety picked them up, and held them crossed at his heart center.

  “Ramesses ruled with compassion and strength. With the crook in my left hand and flail in my right, I too will rule in this manner. Ramesses is with Osiris and Horus is with me. I pledge to all Egyptians that I will bear my responsibilities as a sacred burden, until my soul passes into the afterworld to join my father’s and those of the other great Pharaohs who came before us.”

  The crowd stood hushed until the drums sounded, and then it erupted into a frenzied cheer. Women of the khenerit rushed forward, throwing lotus petals before Sety’s feet as he walked to the Pharaoh’s litter, which had carried his father and Lord Harenhab before him. I, too, was greeted with lotus petals as I walked behind Sety to the Queen’s litter, a slightly smaller conveyance with baboon heads carved at the tops of the chair posts.

  I held on tightly as the litter bearers lifted me to their shoulders for the first time. As soon as they began walking, I realized why Lord Harenhab disliked this way of traveling. The constant jostling was quite uncomfortable, and I would have much preferred riding in a chariot, but speed and comfort were not considerations in this journey. While we were on the litters, all eyes looked up at Sety and me as we rode above the crowd, at the center of the world.

  Egyptians from all walks of life gathered along the path leading to the palace and bowed to Sety from the waist. When I approached, I noticed something curious. More than a few lifted their heads, reached out their arms, and with their eyes asked for my blessing. I turned my head slightly from side to side, giving them what they desired with a nod and a smile.

  After arriving at the palace, I walked with Sety at his request to his chambers. He immediately removed the double crown and put on the nems and uraeus, which were lying on a table.

  “You were magnificent today at the temple,” I said. “The words flowed from your lips with power and sincerity.”

  “I know, though for a time I feared I would become sick again.”

  “I could see you were not feeling well.”

  “I felt terrible, but when I picked up the crown I began feeling strong and confident and my fear dissolved. No doubt the power of Horus was entering me.”

  “No doubt,” I said, “but I sensed there was more.”

  “More? What do you mean?”

  “You spoke with equanimity and compassion. The strength of Isis seemed to be flowing through you as well, bringing balance to your being.”

  “I still feel strong and confident, Tuya. I doubt anything can stop me from making my reign a great one and fulfilling the pledges I made today.”

  “You will be remembered throughout the ages, Sety. Never doubt yourself again.”

  “I won’t, for now I possess divine power. All I fear is loneliness. Command is always lonely, and with Father gone, I have no one to trust.”

  I winced at my husband’s remark. “There’s no need for you to be lonely. You have me, and when your children grow older you will have them as well to rely upon. Allow me to love you.”

  Sety looked directly at me, and I saw softnes
s in his gaze. He blinked several times then turned his head away.

  “No, Tuya. It’s too late for that. The passion I felt for you ended with the death of my first son and I fear I cannot get it back. Still, you are the mother of the Prince who is my heir, and two fine Princesses. You are a good mother, and I want you to know your position as the Great Royal Wife is secure.”

  “Since the birth of the young Ramesses, I never doubted that.”

  I turned to leave.

  “Tuya,” Sety said as I reached the door. “My compliments. You are most stunning today. I especially like your new wig. It makes you look… like a goddess.”

  Tears formed in the corners of my eyes. “Thank you. I plan to wear the wig often.”

  As I walked through the palace to my chambers, I looked around at the lavish furnishings. Once, I was awed by the opulence, and dreamt of living here as the Great Royal Wife.

  How foolish I was to have expectations. As I stood in the palace for the first time as Queen Tuya, I realized all the wealth in the world could not ease my sadness. I had at one time felt love and passion from Sety as lush as the foliage on the Nile’s banks. By comparison, all the riches now surrounding me were but straw.

  I thought back to my childhood, when the Sem Priest in Memphis offered to take me into the Temple of Ptah and teach me the ways of those who offered their lives to the divine. I reacted with horror back then at the thought of being torn from my parents. For a moment, I wished I had gone, so that I might be free of the trying life I now was forced to live.

  Suddenly, a touch of indigo passed in front of me and a smile formed on my lips.

  My sadness will not last, for I still have my children to love. I must find Tjia and hug her, give Ramesses his tiny bow, and bounce Hint-mi-re on my knee.

  XXIX

  I sometimes wished time would stop so Tjia, Ramesses and Hint-mi-re would remain children forever. They gave purpose to my existence, and a part of me feared what life would be like when they reached adulthood and no longer needed me to nurture them.

  As I watched Tjia and Hint-mi-re grow, I marveled that two girls with the same mother and father could be so different. Tjia was the most predictable but least curious, which I found troubling at first. As my oldest child, I’d hoped she would be more like me. When she turned eight, I asked Tjia if she would like to learn hieroglyphs.